At First Glance
by Miss Doctor-Pendragon
Summary: Set AU. When Gwaine stumbles across a mysterious girl in the forest, he finds himself falling for her feistiness. But this girl has a secret, a secret that could bring Camelot to its knees. Gwaine/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** At First Glance

**Summary:** When Gwaine stumbles across a mysterious girl in the forest, he finds himself falling for her feistiness. But this girl has a secret, a secret that could bring Camelot to its knees. Gwaine/OC

**Rating:** T

**A/N:** Sorry if any characters seem a bit OOC. This is my first time writing a Merlin fic.

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><p>Chapter One<p>

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><p>It was raining hard in Camelot and Gwaine was soaked to the skin. He had been kicked out of the tavern for picking a fight with another man and almost stabbing him.<p>

Gwaine wandered the streets aimlessly, wondering where he could stay for the night. He knew it was too late in the night to disturb Merlin and he couldn't possibly bother Gwen at this hour either. In the end, he decided to use a ragged piece of cloth to camp out in the forest for the night.

After a few minutes of struggling to set up a misshapen tent, Gwaine finally managed to get it to stand. He emptied the contents of the bottle he was carrying into his mouth and threw the bottle aside.

As he lay down and closed his eyes, he heard something rustling in the bushes. Alarmed, he took out his sword and exited the miserable looking tent.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?" He asked cautiously. There was no reply. Just as he was putting his sword away, he heard more rustling. He drew his sword once more and walked deeper into the forest. He looked around, trying to see through all the darkness.

Suddenly, he heard someone running closer to him. He whirled around quickly and felt something collide against him and land on the ground with a soft thud.

Gwaine looked down and saw a girl wearing ragged clothing at his feet. He put his sword away and knelt down next to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently. The girl flinched away from him and gasped in pain as she fell onto her arm. Gwaine looked at her arm and saw blood seeping from a large cut. "Don't worry, I'll get you somewhere safe." He reassured her.

Gwaine wasn't sure how to take care of wounds very well but he did know that you had to cover it so it wouldn't get infected. After finding the cleanest part of his shirt, he tore it off and wrapped it around the girl's arm. The girl had stopped trying to get away and sat silently as he helped her.

"There." He said, looking at the girl's arm. She sniffed and wiped away some tears from her face.

"Thank you." She said quietly, still refusing to meet his gaze. Gwaine looked at the girl closely. Her simple dress was torn in various places and she had many cuts and bruises on her arms and legs. He felt angry and wondered who would do this to an innocent girl.

"I'm Gwaine." He said suddenly. He wasn't sure what had made him do that but the girl raised her head a little bit.

"Elizabeth." She said. Suddenly, she fell backwards and Gwaine managed to catch her before she hit her head. He picked her up gingerly and carried her to his makeshift tent. He lay her down gently and looked at her unconscious figure. She had long wavy dark red hair that was tangled and messy. Gwaine thought she would be very beautiful if she had been dressed properly.

A moan from her caught his attention and he leaned towards her. Her eyes fluttered open and Gwaine found himself staring into the most mesmerizing pair of green eyes he'd ever seen. "Thank you, Gwaine." She whispered weakly before closing her eyes once more.

For a few seconds, Gwaine was in a state of panic. When Elizabeth had closed her eyes, he thought she was dead. After taking a deep breath and checking for a pulse, he was relieved to find that she had just fallen asleep. He decided to sleep outside the tent to make sure that whoever had been chasing her wouldn't be able to hurt her again. He found the most comfortable spot on the ground and lay there, thinking about this mysterious girl.

"Goodnight, Elizabeth." He whispered to himself.

/

The next morning, Gwaine woke up with a terrible pain in his neck. He sat up stiffly and rubbed his neck to relieve the pain. He stood up and checked in on the sleeping girl in his tent.

"Elizabeth?" He asked as he peered into the tent. Elizabeth stirred after hearing his voice and sat up carefully, avoiding her injured arm.

"Gwaine? Wh-where am I?" She asked. Gwaine gave her a smile.

"Camelot. How's your arm?" He asked. She poked her arm and winced in pain.

"A bit better." She smiled back. Gwaine smirked.

"Good. You'll need to be awake if I'm going to carry you to Gaius." He said. Elizabeth blinked.

"Carry? What do you mea- AH!" She yelled. Gwaine scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the tent. "Put me down!" She exclaimed. Gwaine ignored her and continued walking until she slapped his head.

"No need to get feisty." He muttered, setting her down. Elizabeth stuck her chin up and took a step forwards before collapsing. Gwaine suppressed a laugh as Elizabeth sent a glare in his direction.

"Need a hand?" He asked innocently. Elizabeth sighed and let him carry her.

"You're very sneaky." She informed him. Gwaine winked at her.

"I prefer the word 'charming,'" He said slyly. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and looked up as they approached the castle.

"Its beautiful," She breathed. Gwaine looked at the girl's awed expression and smiled a little. He marched up the stairs leading to Gaius' chambers and pushed the door open with his shoulder.

"Hello? Gaius? Merlin?" He asked as he entered the room. He laid Elizabeth down on the bed near the fireplace and looked around. He heard the door to Merlin's room open and saw Merlin looking out.

"Gwaine! What are you doing here?" Merlin asked, grinning. Gwaine smiled back and nodded his head towards Elizabeth.

"Found her wandering around the woods last night. She's got a really bad cut on her arm." Gwaine explained. Merlin walked over to Elizabeth and carefully undid the cloth wrapped around her arm. He winced at the sight of the cut and hastily wrapped it again.

"Its better if Gaius checks this himself." Merlin informed Elizabeth as he handed her a cup of water.

"Thanks you, Merlin." She said after drinking the water. Merlin smiled at her.

"No problem. Sorry, what's your name?" He asked.

"Elizabeth." Gwaine said. Elizabeth glared at him again.

"Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a conversation?" She asked, irritated. Gwaine smirked.

"Don't you know it's dangerous to wander around at night in the forest?" He said back. Elizabeth looked affronted and looked away from him. Merlin watched the two of them and smiled to himself.

Thankfully, the door opened and Gaius returned. Merlin was happy that he had arrived because he could feel the tension between Elizabeth and Gwaine dissolving a bit.

"Gaius, Elizabeth here has a couple of bad injuries." Merlin said. Gaius hurried over to her and took in her injured state.

"What happened to you, my dear?" Gaius asked in concern. Elizabeth looked at her hands and fiddled with a ring she was wearing.

"I was getting chased by a group of bandits. I barely escaped but Gwaine found me." She explained, shooting a grateful glance at Gwaine. Gaius inspected her cut carefully.

"Merlin, get me that ointment over there. The one in the green bottle." He instructed. Merlin grabbed the bottle on the shelf and handed it to Gaius.

"Sorry, this might hurt a bit." Gaius said apologetically as he dabbed the ointment onto Elizabeth's cut. She winced occasionally but didn't make any noise. Gwaine found himself watching her again. She was unlike any girl he had ever met. Her red hair was one main difference but she also seemed stronger than other girls he'd met.

"There you go, my dear. All better?" Gaius asked after wrapping another piece of cloth around Elizabeth's arm. She nodded and smiled.

"Yes, thank you so much!" Gaius patted her arm and stood up.

"It was nothing. Excuse me; I have some more work to do. Merlin, I believe Arthur was looking for you. He mentioned something about his armour." Merlin groaned at this and grabbed a rag.

"See you around, Elizabeth." He said as he left the room. Gaius had bustled out again to get water, leaving Gwaine and Elizabeth alone.

After a moment of silence, Gwaine spoke up.

"Do you think you can walk now? I don't want to have to carry you around all the time." He said. Elizabeth scoffed.

"Who said I liked being carried around?" She said back. Gwaine looked in bewilderment at the girl in front of him. Never before had he been spoken back to like this. Usually if he said something like this to a girl, she'd giggle and blush but Elizabeth was a whole different matter.

"Never mind," Gwaine said, trying to compose himself. He stood up and stretched a bit.

"If you need anything, just shout. I'll be in Merlin's room. Blasted ground made my back hurt." He said gruffly as he headed for Merlin's room. Elizabeth realized that she must have slept in the tent while he slept outside on the ground. She felt a rush of affection for the strange man who rescued her and sat up.

"Thank you." She called out as he stepped into Merlin's room. Gwaine turned around and looked at Elizabeth. She looked at him with her brilliant green eyes. "If you hadn't rescued me, I'd be in more danger." She said softly. Gwaine smiled at her before turning away and walking into Merlin's room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello readers! Thanks for the alerts and hits. I really appreciate it! This chapter doesn't have as much action but I promise the next chapter will be longer (hopefully). Enjoy!**

**-Miss DP**

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><p>Chapter Two<p>

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><p>"Gwaine, wake up!" Merlin said as he shook Gwaine. Gwaine muttered something and rolled over, ignoring Merlin. With a flash of golden eyes, the covers under Gwaine swept off the bed, tossing Gwaine onto the floor with a loud thud.<p>

"What was that?" Gwaine grumbled as he sat up. Merlin snickered.

"I pulled the sheets off the bed to wake you up." He said innocently. Gwaine looked up and down at the skinny boy and shook his head, not wanting to argue further. He yawned and stood up.

"What time is it?" He asked. Merlin fixed his bed sheets and looked at Gwaine.

"You slept through lunch. Its already dinnertime." He informed Gwaine. Gwaine cursed as he heard his stomach grumble loudly. Merlin laughed at him. "There's food on the table. You can join Elizabeth." Gwaine perked up at these words and stalked out of the room.

"Look who finally woke up," Elizabeth teased as she saw Gwaine's messy state. Gwaine rolled his eyes and sat down across her. He grabbed a bowl of soup and started gulping it down quickly. Elizabeth watched him with a slightly amused expression on her face. He noticed this and frowned.

"What?" He said through a mouthful of food. Elizabeth looked disgusted and stood up. Gwaine noticed that she had cleaned up and was wearing a set of Merlin's clothes. He sniggered and looked down at his empty bowl.

"Merlin, do you mind if I take a look around the castle? I won't be gone long. I just want to get a look at this place." Elizabeth asked excitedly. Merlin looked up from the papers he was reading and nodded.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Merlin offered. Elizabeth shook her head.

"No, I've already intruded on your privacy too much. I think I can handle this." She said.

"You sure about that?" Gwaine piped up. Elizabeth glared at him.

"Don't think that I'm just another pretty face, Gwaine." She said angrily. Gwaine looked at her up and down and nodded in agreement.

"Definitely not just a pretty face." He said slyly. Elizabeth caught on to what he meant and walked away in disgust. Merlin slapped Gwaine on the back of the head.

"You shouldn't be so rude." He chastised. Gwaine ignored him and watched Elizabeth walk away.

/

Elizabeth was still furious at how Gwaine acted. She couldn't believe that someone like Gwaine was friends with someone as kind as Merlin. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't see the person she walked into.

"Oh, sorry!" She exclaimed. She looked up at the man she bumped into and found herself looking at man with blonde hair and clear blue eyes. He looked down at her as well and smiled at her.

"No, I wasn't watching where I was walking." He said. Elizabeth found herself staring at him. "I'm Arthur." He said, sticking out his hand. Elizabeth grasped his hand and shook it.

"Elizabeth." She said. Arthur looked at the pretty red head in front of him and couldn't help but think that she looked familiar.

"Have we met before?" He asked. Elizabeth frowned and shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. I only got here yesterday." She explained. Arthur looked at her more carefully and recognized the clothes she was wearing.

"Why are you wearing boy's clothing?" He asked. Elizabeth looked down at herself and flushed red.

"Merlin let me borrow his clothes for the night." She said quickly. Arthur couldn't help but feel a little jealous. How did _Merlin_ manage to get his hands on a girl as gorgeous as Elizabeth? Arthur concluded that it must be Merlin's idiocy that girls found endearing.

"Ah. I see. Well, my lady, I must be off now. I hope we meet again." He said, pressing his lips to Elizabeth's hand quickly before walking away. Elizabeth's head was spinning from her encounter with Arthur. She couldn't help but be charmed by him and hoped to see him again.

Elizabeth couldn't help but compare Gwaine and Arthur. Arthur was charming and handsome while Gwaine was rude and, undeniably, good looking as well. She sighed and headed back to Merlin's chambers.

"You're back already?" Merlin asked as she walked in. Elizabeth shrugged and couldn't help but smile as she thought of Arthur.

"What are you grinning about?" Gwaine asked suspiciously. Elizabeth shot him a scathing look and sniffed.

"If you must know, I met Prince Arthur himself. He was _very _charming, unlike certain people in this room." She said, glaring at Gwaine. Merlin laughed at Gwaine's shocked expression. Elizabeth was satisfied that she got Gwaine worked up and walked over to Merlin.

"I'll be staying at the inn tonight. I don't want to bother you or Gaius. Thanks for the help." She said gratefully.

"Gaius won't mind. Right Gaius?" He asked. Gaius, who had returned after Elizabeth arrived, looked down at them from the balcony overhead and nodded.

"Stay as long as you like, Elizabeth. Don't worry about it." Elizabeth beamed at Gaius.

"Thank you so much! I'll just sleep on the floor. I don't want anyone to give up his or her beds." Merlin shook his head.

"Nope. You can take my bed. I'll just sleep on the floor." Merlin said firmly. Elizabeth wanted to argue but she saw the determination in his eyes and sighed in defeat.

"Fine." Gwaine chose that moment to let out a loud belch.

"What about me?" He asked. Merlin looked around.

"There's not much space left. I suppose you can sleep on the floor as well." Gwaine yawned and headed up to Merlin's room.

"Thanks, Merlin." He said. Elizabeth watched him and turned to Merlin.

"Does he not have a place to stay?" She asked. Merlin shook his head.

"He usually stays at the inn but he's been getting into a lot of trouble there so they've banned him for a month or two." Elizabeth looked back at the door to Merlin's room.

"Well, I'll be going to bed now. Goodnight Merlin, Gaius." She said. They smiled back and she headed into the room. Gwaine was already on the floor snoring peacefully and Elizabeth smiled as he slept on. She climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep, trying to ignore the thunderous snores emanating from Gwaine.

/

The next morning, Elizabeth woke up feeling rather warm. She wriggled a bit thought that it was rather strange how the bed was harder than it was last night. However, she still didn't open her eyes. The only thing that managed to force her to wake up properly was the feeling of someone breathing on her neck.

"AH!" Elizabeth shouted. She had somehow rolled off the bed last night and landed on the floor. The good news was that she hadn't landed on Merlin or Gwaine. The bad news was that Gwaine had wrapped his arms around her in his sleep.

"Gwaine, wake up!" She said. But Gwaine would not stir. She looked around the room but found that Merlin wasn't there. She wriggled some more, trying to free herself. Gwaine sighed in his sleep and held her tighter.

"GWAINE! LET ME GO RIGHT NOW!" She yelled. Gwaine woke up with a start and sat up, releasing Elizabeth. He looked at her and frowned.

"What are you doing on the floor?" He asked. Elizabeth dusted off her shirt and stood up.

"I woke up this morning and you had your arms all over me." She said huffily. Gwaine grinned at her.

"I wish I had been awake when that happened." He said, trying to rile her up. It worked. Elizabeth stormed out of the room and Gwaine laid back down on the ground, smirking to himself. He liked watching Elizabeth get so flustered over him. He stood up and walked outside to see Merlin and Elizabeth talking.

"Morning!" Gwaine said brightly. Merlin greeted him back but Elizabeth refused to look at him. Gaius was putting bowls of porridge on the table and acknowledged Gwaine with a nod of his head.

"Its good to see you so energetic this morning, Gwaine. I was hoping you and Elizabeth could help me deliver the medicines to people." He said. Elizabeth looked at Gwaine and then back to Gaius.

"You want me and Gwaine to work together?" She asked hollowly. Gaius nodded.

"It ought to keep Gwaine out of trouble and you can have the chance to explore the town. Merlin suggested it this morning." Gwaine and Elizabeth shot murderous looks towards Merlin who suddenly looked so fascinated by his porridge.

"I have the feeling its going to be a _long_ day." Elizabeth groaned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thanks for the alerts and hits! Christmas is coming soon and I'm super excited. Mostly because of the Doctor WHo Christmas Special though. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**-Miss DP**

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><p>Chapter Three<p>

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><p>After breakfast, Elizabeth and Gwaine set off to deliver various medicines to the townspeople. Surprisingly, Gwaine hadn't said anything to her so far. They had just finished delivering the last of Gaius' medicines when Gwaine finally spoke to her.<p>

"So, what brought you to Camelot?" He asked suddenly. Elizabeth looked at him and frowned.

"My parents died recently. I wanted a change of scenery so I decided to look for work here in Camelot." She said. Gwaine felt sorry for her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for your loss." He said. Elizabeth looked at him and smiled a little.

"Thanks." They continued on walking in silence, neither knowing what else to say. As they walked back to the castle, Gwaine noticed the knights training outside. Gwaine saw Arthur ordering the men around and scoffed. Elizabeth turned to see what he was looking at and smiled when Arthur noticed her.

"Hello, Elizabeth. How nice to see you again." Arthur said, smiling at her. Elizabeth smiled back.

"How are you, your Highness?" She asked politely. Arthur grasped her hand.

"Please, Arthur will do." Gwaine rolled his eyes at the sight of Elizabeth flushing. He cleared his throat loudly, attracting the attention of Arthur.

"Is there a problem, Gwaine?" He asked coldly. Elizabeth frowned as she saw a faint smirk on Gwaine's face.

"Oh nothing. It's just that, Elizabeth and I have some work to do for Gaius." He said casually. Arthur looked surprised.

"Are you staying with Gaius as well? Is he your relative?" Elizabeth looked down.

"Actually, Gwaine rescued me last night. He brought me to Gaius and Merlin and they took me in." Arthur shot a glance at Gwaine at her words and narrowed his eyes.

"I see. Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask for me. It was great to see you again Elizabeth." He said, placing a kiss on her hand. Gwaine glowered at Arthur's retreating figure. Elizabeth could sense that there was obvious tension between the two but didn't want to ask.

"Come on, let's get back to Gaius." She said, walking ahead of Gwaine.

/

Arthur walked back to the castle, his thoughts focused on Elizabeth.

_Actually, Gwaine rescued me… _

Arthur couldn't shake those words out of his head. He and Gwaine always had a rocky friendship. He knew of Gwaine's dislike for nobles and he himself found Gwaine to be little shady despite his excellent fighting skills.

"What do I have to be jealous of?" He muttered to himself. Elizabeth was stunning even if she didn't notice it yet. He could see that Gwaine had a fondness for her but Arthur knew that Elizabeth was somewhat taken with Arthur himself.

As he entered his chambers, he noticed Merlin scrubbing his boots. He remembered that Elizabeth mentioned something about staying with Merlin so he decided to take advantage of this moment.

"Merlin, I hear you have a girl staying with you? Elizabeth, if I'm not mistaken." He said casually. Merlin stopped scrubbing and stood up. He frowned at Arthur's words.

"Yes, what about her?" He asked suspiciously. Arthur nonchalantly shrugged.

"Well, I met her the other evening and this morning I saw her walking with Gwaine. Is it safe to let someone like her walk around with someone like Gwaine?" He asked. Merlin was very confused indeed. Why did Arthur suddenly have an interest in Elizabeth?

"What do you mean 'someone like her'?" Merlin asked, trying to figure out what Arthur was up to. Arthur cleared his throat.

"Its just that, Gwaine has a reputation of being somewhat… Well, you know how he is with women. I'm just worried that Gwaine might try to um, get under her skirts." Arthur said uncomfortably. Merlin looked at Arthur and smiled to himself. He had never seen Arthur looking so flustered and nervous before.

"Well, Elizabeth is very beautiful isn't she?" Merlin said knowingly. Arthur faced him, his face red.

"Yes, she is very beautiful. It's hard to believe that she's not of noble blood. Yet, there's something familiar about her face." Arthur mused. Merlin picked up Arthur's boots and placed them on the table.

"Its probably your imagination. Bandits were chasing the poor girl apparently. She must've put up a hell of fight. You should have seen the bruises on her." Merlin said absent mindedly as he gave the boots a final shining. Arthur rounded on him.

"Bandits in the forest? I must inform father. The woods must be kept safe for passing travellers." Arthur said as he strode out of the room. Merlin shook his head and thought about how Arthur got so flustered about Elizabeth. Ever since Elizabeth arrived, two of his friends had gotten very fond of her. He smiled as he remembered Gwaine's attitude towards her and shook his head.

"And they call me the idiot."

/

Elizabeth sat down on a bench in Gaius chambers. Gwaine had decided to take a walk on his own and hadn't returned yet. She watched as the old man mixed and boiled various medicines and looked keenly at the old books and papers covering his workbench.

Gaius glanced at Elizabeth and saw her reading one of his books on remedial plants. "Are you interested in being a physician someday, Elizabeth?" He asked. Elizabeth looked up at him and smiled bashfully.

"Well, I have been studying a little bit. But I only know about which kinds of plants you can and can't use for medicine." She said. Gaius smiled at her.

"That's the kind of basic knowledge that would be useful to you out in the forest if you are ever in trouble." He said. Elizabeth smiled back at him.

"Gaius? Do you think maybe, if you needed any help, I could help you with your duties?" She asked eagerly. Gaius looked at the excited girl and smiled fondly at her.

"That's a wonderful idea, my dear! Merlin is hopeless at anything related to medicine so he's useless here. It would be a good chance for you to study more." Elizabeth beamed and hugged Gaius quickly.

"Oh! Thank you so much, Gaius!" Their happy mood was soon interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

"Gaius! The king requests the girl's presence. He also requests that you come as well." A muffled voice said from the other side of the door. Gaius sighed.

"Very well. Tell him I'll be on my way." Gaius said. Elizabeth followed him out of the room, wondering what the king could possibly want.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the room where Uther was sitting on his throne. Several knights were there and Elizabeth saw Merlin and Arthur standing nearby. Uther looked troubled and motioned for Gaius and Elizabeth to come forwards.

"You're Elizabeth, is that correct?" Uther said to Elizabeth. She gave a small boy.

"Yes, your Highness." Uther looked at her.

"You were attacked last night by a group of bandits. Are you sure you didn't see anyone else getting attacked?" He asked, looking at her closely. Elizabeth shook her head.

"No sire, I was alone." She said, looking at him straight in the eye. Uther froze.

_Those eyes… It can't be… _He thought fearfully. He nodded at Elizabeth and she backed away and stood next to Gaius once more.

"It appears that Elizabeth isn't the only victim of these bandits. Arthur sent out a group of knights to search the forest for the bandits and they discovered a terrible sight." Uther announced gravely. Everyone in the room murmured worriedly amongst themselves.

"Four men were found dead in the forest. It seemed as if they were also attacked by bandits." Gaius felt Elizabeth stiffen next to him. He figured she was just shocked by the news. Uther cleared his throat and continued.

"These bandits must be captured and put to death. I don't like the idea of these people running around in Camelot's forests. I wish to warn all of you to stay away from the forests and avoid hunting." Merlin heard Arthur groan and smiled to himself. He was glad that Arthur wasn't allowed to hunt. Merlin had been the one to carry supplies and weapons during the hunts and it always exhausted him.

"You are all dismissed." Uther said. Merlin took it as his cue to exit when Arthur walked up to Uther.

"Father, you seem very distressed by all this." Arthur said. Uther looked at him grimly.

"The four men killed bore the crest of the Bravehearts. They were great allies of mine during the Great Purge. William and I swore to contact each other only in times of great need. This is why I am worried that something had happened to him." Uther explained. Arthur still did not understand.

"But father, why?" Uther looked at him in the eye.

"Cenred had been trying to convince William to join him in his quest to take over Camelot. He was furious when William refused. If Cenred knew we kept constant communication, he'd attack William's kingdom in his rage."Arthur was surprised at the sincerity in his father's words. As he turned to walk away, Uther suddenly put a hand on his shoulder.

"Arthur, there is one last detail that you must not share with anyone." Arthur faced his father.

"Yes?" Uther looked at his son sadly.

"The knights told me that one of the men they found wore a crown. I have reason to believe that William sent his son, Evan to ask for help. Whoever did this to William's son, I swear I'll kill that person myself." Arthur was surprised. He'd never seen his father looking so solemn.

"I won't tell a soul." Arthur promised.

/

Gaius glanced at Elizabeth. She had been silent the whole way back after their meeting with Uther. She seemed shaken by the news of the four men found dead and he supposed she was thinking about what would've happened if she hadn't been found. He sighed and went back to chopping roots.

"Why are you all looking so sad?" Gwaine said loudly as he entered the room. Elizabeth looked at him, her face looking as if she was going to burst into tears. She stood up, ran towards Gwaine and hugged him.

"I owe you my life." She said shakily. Gwaine's expression softened and he rubbed his hand in circles on her back.

"Its ok, you're safe now. Haven't you said thank you enough?" He teased. Elizabeth pulled away and looked at him.

"Its just… Uther said that there were other men who got killed in the forest. He think's it's the same bandits who attacked me." She said. Gwaine grinned.

"You must've put up a hell of a fight. I sure wouldn't want to attack a fiery haired monster like you." He said, grinning idiotically. Elizabeth bunched up her fists angrily.

"Gwaine you are an insufferable idiot. I can't believe that for a second I thought you could be nice." She said as she stormed away.

"I guess this means we're back to teasing, aren't we?" He called as she walked away from him. Elizabeth said nothing back, but walked away with a smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Merry Christmas to all my readers! I guess you could call this an early present to you guys since the next chapter will be up after Christmas. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

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><p>A few days had passed since Elizabeth arrived in Camelot and she had settled down quite well with Gaius and Merlin. Gaius managed to obtain another bed for her and she and Merlin shared the room. Gwaine would stop by often to visit her and Merlin but he never stayed for long.<p>

Elizabeth found Gwaine rather annoying at times but on a rare occasion, she found herself feeling fond of him. Gwaine usually tried making a move on her but she always rejected him. She wasn't sure if he was sincere or if he was just fooling around.

"Elizabeth, do you mind dropping this off to Arthur? Merlin told me he has a nasty cut on his leg." Gaius said, handing her a small bottle. Elizabeth's face lit up.

"No problem!" She said, trying not to show her glee. For the past few days, Arthur would smile at Elizabeth whenever he caught her eye. Of course, Gwaine would get grumpy when he noticed this exchange between the two. Elizabeth hurried up the steps and stood outside Arthur's room nervously. She straightened out her simple white dress and knocked once on the door.

"Come in!" Arthur's voice boomed. Elizabeth entered the room and saw Arthur lying on the bed. He sat up when he saw her and gave her another brilliant smile. "Elizabeth! What brings you here?" He asked. Elizabeth smiled back.

"Hello, Arthur. Gaius asked me to bring this to you. He said it's for your leg." She said shyly as she handed the bottle to him. Arthur opened the bottle and took a whiff of the ointment.

"Ugh, smells disgusting." He groaned. Elizabeth laughed a little and hesitantly sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Here, let me." She said, holding out a small rag. Arthur handed her the bottle and she poured some of the ointment onto the rag. She dabbed at the wound gently and Arthur winced as the ointment stung.

"There you go, all cleaned up." She said, putting the rag down. Arthur realized he'd been staring at her and cleared his throat.

"Right. So how are you adjusting to Camelot?" He asked. Elizabeth smiled at him, making his heart race.

"Merlin and Gaius have been very kind to me. Merlin showed me around the town and Gwen even lent me some of her dresses." She gushed. Arthur smiled back at her and remembered seeing her with Gwaine a few days back.

"And Gwaine?" He pressed. Elizabeth's smile faded a little.

"He's very… Oh, I don't even know where to begin!" She said exasperatedly. Arthur was secretly pleased that Gwaine had gotten on her bad side.

"Has he been hurting you?" He asked in mock outrage. Elizabeth laughed and shook her head.

"Oh, he wouldn't do that. He's just very annoying sometimes. One minute he's very sweet and kind and the next second, he's trying to make a move on me. It's frustrating, to be honest." She said. Arthur stiffened at the thought of Gwaine flirting with Elizabeth. He felt slightly jealous that Gwaine got to see Elizabeth more than he did.

"I think I'll need to have a chat with Gwaine." Arthur said darkly. Elizabeth looked surprised.

"Oh no, he's actually sort of like a friend to me. When he's not being a jerk." She added. Arthur leaned back against the headboard of the bed and closed his eyes.

"I should go now." Elizabeth said quickly as she stood up. "You need to rest." Arthur opened his eyes again.

"Do you really need to go?" He said feeling disappointed. Elizabeth smiled wistfully.

"I think Gaius has more work for me to do. I'll see you around then, Arthur." She said as she turned to leave.

"Wait!" Arthur called. Elizabeth turned around and saw Arthur looking at her. He coughed and cleared his throat; trying to think about how he should phrase the words he wanted to say.

"If you're not doing anything tomorrow morning, would you like to go riding with me?" He blurted out. Elizabeth was surprised but smiled at him.

"Of course I'd like to!" She said happily. Arthur looked relieved.

"Good. So, I'll see you later?" He asked. Elizabeth nodded and left the room, her heart pounding.

/

Gwaine was bored. Gaius told him that Elizabeth went off to deliver something so Gwaine had stayed in Merlin and Elizabeth's room lying down on one of the beds. He had found himself visiting Elizabeth more often and he kind of liked being around her. The tavern was less interesting to him now that Elizabeth had captured his attention.

"I'm back!" Gwaine heard Elizabeth's voice call out. He jumped off the bed and left the room.

"Hello, Elizabeth." Gwaine greeted politely. He noticed that her cheeks were tinged pink, as if she had been blushing. Elizabeth smiled back at him.

"Hi, Gwaine. Isn't it a lovely day?" She said dreamily. Gwaine frowned. Elizabeth would usually greet him with a short hello and flounce off to do more work. It was very unlike her to act so dreamy.

"Ok, what's happening?" Gwaine demanded. "You're not usually like this." Elizabeth looked at him, grinning happily.

"You'll never guess what happened this morning!" She said enthusiastically. Gwaine grinned back, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You realized that I'm the only person for you?" He asked. To his surprised, Elizabeth didn't get angry. Instead, she laughed and slapped his arm playfully.

"No, silly! Arthur asked me to go riding with him tomorrow morning! Isn't that great?" She asked brightly. Gwaine was rooted to the spot. Arthur asked Elizabeth to go riding with him? Gwaine felt a twinge of jealousy. He wanted to say something rude about Arthur but seeing Elizabeth smiling with happiness made him change his mind.

"Th-That's great!" He said, forcing a smile onto his face. Elizabeth smiled and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Well, I'd better go get lunch ready. Will you be staying for lunch?" She asked. Gwaine shook his head.

"I have to go somewhere. I'll probably be here for dinner though." Elizabeth looked disappointed but shrugged.

"Ok then, see you later!" Gwaine trudged out of the room, his fists clenched tightly.

/

Merlin ran to Arthur's room quickly. He hadn't been there for Arthur in the morning and he was dreading the punishment Arthur might set. He skidded to a halt in Arthur's room and set down the armour he was carrying.

"Sorry I'm late, Arthur! Please don't make me muck out your horse!" Merlin blurted out. To his amazement, Arthur was lying in bed with his arms behind his head. He had a huge smile on his face and it scared Merlin a little bit.

"Sire? Arthur?" Merlin asked, wondering what put Arthur in this state. Arthur blinked as though he just heard Merlin and sat up.

"Oh, didn't see you there, Merlin." Arthur said breezily. Merlin frowned.

"Are you alright?" He asked, worried about his friend. Arthur wasn't always this happy. Arthur sighed happily.

"Everything's amazing. I just asked Elizabeth if she would like to go riding with me tomorrow and she said yes!" Arthur said. Merlin was shocked.

"But Arthur, your leg!" He exclaimed. Merlin honestly wondered who was more idiotic: Him or Arthur? Arthur dismissed his words with a wave of his hand.

"Oh, it'll be fine by tomorrow. Since I'm can't do anything with this leg of mine, I suppose I'll have to give you the day off." Arthur said. Merlin was speechless. He'd never seen Arthur like this. But, since Arthur gave him the day off, he might as well take advantage of this.

"Thank you, sire." Merlin said, bowing. As he was walking back to Gaius' chambers, he realized something. Gwaine had also shown that he liked Elizabeth, despite all their arguments. He felt bad for Gwaine and wondered if he already found out about Elizabeth and Arthur.

As he turned the corner, Gwen bumped into him. She realized who he was and started dragging him off by the arm. "Gwen, what are you doing?" Merlin exclaimed. Gwen looked at him, worried.

"Its Gwaine. He got into more trouble at the tavern. I think he's hurt pretty badly."


	5. Chapter 5

**A happy new year to all you readers! I hope you all got what you wanted for Christmas and that you all enjoyed yourselves! Sorry if the wait for this was a bit long. I didn't have much time to write since we were sort of fixing up the house a lot. I hope you all have a wonderful new year and I hope you like this chapter!**

**-Miss DP**

* * *

><p>Chapter Five<p>

* * *

><p>Merlin and Gwen ran to the tavern, fearing the worst. When they arrived, however, Gwaine was just sitting against some crates drinking deeply from a bottle. He noticed the two of them gaping at him and grinned.<p>

"Why do you two look so worried?" Gwaine slurred. Merlin looked at him closely. Gwaine appeared to be in proper health.

"Gwen said you were hurt!" He exclaimed. Gwaine took another long drink from the bottle and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Oh, its just a small scratch." Gwaine said, raising a hand to his cheek. Merlin and Gwen could see a cut on his left cheek.

"What has gotten into you, Gwaine? You haven't been to the tavern in days and now you've gone and hurt yourself there." Gwen scolded. Gwaine spat on the ground bitterly.

"I needed a distraction." Gwaine muttered. Gwen had no idea what he was talking about but Merlin did. He backed away from Gwaine and pulled Gwen aside.

"Listen, you go back to the castle. I can take care of Gwaine from here." He said in a low voice. Gwen was confused but nodded. She hurried off to the castle and Merlin sighed. He sat down next to Gwaine and patted his arm.

"So you've heard." Merlin said. Gwaine looked at him.

"Heard about what?" He said. Merlin looked at the ground.

"About Arthur and Elizabeth." Merlin said. Gwaine stiffened and he looked away.

"So?" He said bitterly. Merlin smacked his arm. Gwaine yelped and glared at him. "What was that for?" He yelled. Merlin shook his head.

"For acting stupid. You can't just run off to the tavern like that! Besides, Elizabeth and Arthur might just want to er, talk. Nothing's going to happen anyways. Arthur's the prince and Elizabeth is just a commoner." Merlin said, trying to cheer Gwaine up. Gwaine looked at him, surprised.

"You've become very wise, did you know that Merlin?" Gwaine said. Then, he sighed. "You're right though, I was acting stupid. I guess I just missed the tavern a little too much, eh?" He elbowed Merlin.

Merlin shook his head. Gwaine was obviously trying to hide his feelings so Merlin decided to leave him to it. "I'm guessing you haven't eaten. Want to go back to Gaius' place for lunch?" Gwaine looked as if he didn't want to but his stomach grumbled loudly.

"Yeah, why not?" He relented. He and Merlin stood up and headed back to the castle. Merlin hoped that Gwaine would be in a better mood by the time they arrived at Gaius' chambers but when they entered, they saw Arthur standing in front of Elizabeth and Gaius.

"Oh, hello!" Arthur said to Merlin. He gave Gwaine a nod before facing Elizabeth again. "I won't bother you any longer. See you tomorrow morning then?" He said as he left the room. Elizabeth was smiling widely and she nodded happily.

"Yes, of course!" She said back. Gwaine had slunk over to the table and was mixing his bowl of soup furiously. Merlin hurried over and took the bowl away before it could spill.

"Wow Elizabeth, this looks really good!" He said quickly after spooning some into his mouth. Elizabeth smiled back fondly at him.

"Why, thank you Merlin!" She said. As soon as she turned her back, Merlin spat out the soup and shuddered. Gwaine smirked as Merlin swallowed down an entire cup of water.

"It tastes revolting!" Merlin hissed to Gwaine. Gwaine grabbed a spoon and tasted the soup. He gagged and spat it out as well.

"Ugh, that's the worst thing I've ever tasted." He said as he wiped his mouth with his hand. Elizabeth turned around and frowned when she saw their bowls still full.

"Aren't you going to finish it?" She asked. Merlin and Gwaine looked at each other.

"I'm kind of full." Gwaine said, rubbing his stomach. Merlin nodded in agreement. Elizabeth shrugged and took the bowls away.

"Suit yourselves." She said. Gwaine stood up and took the bowls away from her.

"Let me help you with that." He said, clearing away the rest of the soup from the bowls. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Merlin was surprised too. Gwaine hummed something softly as he cleared the table and Elizabeth and Merlin watched him in shock.

"Gwaine, are you feeling alright?" Elizabeth asked nervously. Gwaine looked at her.

"Of course I'm alright. Why would you think otherwise?" He said. Elizabeth was unsure of what to say but thankfully, Gaius walked in and interrupted her.

"Elizabeth, I need you to go to the forest to collect some mushrooms. Is that ok?" He asked. Elizabeth smiled fondly at Gaius and nodded.

"Sure!" She said, grabbing a basket. Gwaine grabbed her arm.

"Oh no, you are not going out in that forest alone. You might get attacked again." He said. Elizabeth pulled her arm away from his grasp and stuck her chin in the air.

"I can take care of myself, Gwaine. I'm a big girl." She said back. Gwaine sighed.

"You are the most stubborn woman I've ever met." He said. Elizabeth looked back at him.

"And you are the most annoying man I've ever met. Fine, you can come." She said finally. Gwaine grinned and followed her out the door. Merlin watched the two of them, amused. The two were a funny pair to watch.

/

Gwaine and Elizabeth walked through the forest talking eagerly. Elizabeth noticed that there was something different about Gwaine. He was in a good mood and he always managed to make her laugh at something. Being around him made her happy and she sort of liked that. The two managed to find a couple of mushrooms and were sitting under a tree to pass time.

"Arthur seems rather fond of you." Gwaine said gruffly. Elizabeth found she smiling and looked at Gwaine.

"You jealous?" She teased. For a second, she saw a disappointed look flash across Gwaine's face but he covered it with a snort.

"Uh who would in their right mind would want to spend time with you?" He said back. Elizabeth tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm… Let's see… What about the man who insisted on coming with me to pick mushrooms?" She said, staring at Gwaine. He laughed and held up his hands in surrender.

"Ok, ok. I think we've spent too long outside. We should head back to Gaius and Merlin." He said as he stood up. He held out a hand to Elizabeth and pulled her to her feet.

"Thank you." She said, smiling at him. Gwaine found himself staring after her as she walked away and shook his head. _You've fallen hard, my friend._ A voice inside Gwaine's mind said smugly.

"Oh, shut up." He blurted out. Elizabeth looked back at him, surprised.

"Excuse me?" She said, her hands on her hips.

"I wasn't talking to… I mean, I… OH FORGET IT!" Gwaine spluttered. Elizabeth looked extremely confused but shrugged and kept walking. Gwaine followed her dejectedly, mentally scolding himself.

Suddenly, he heard a scream. "Gwaine!" Elizabeth screamed from ahead of him. Gwaine swore and ran to where Elizabeth was getting attacked by three men. Gwaine didn't have any weapons with him so he leapt at the man holding Elizabeth and tackled him to the ground. Elizabeth kicked at the second man and froze as she felt something cold press against her neck.

"Give me your ring and I'll let you go." The man behind her hissed. She felt him press the knife against her neck and she swallowed nervously.

"No." She said back bravely. The man growled and was about to slice her neck when Gwaine stabbed him in the leg using another man's knife. He fell to the ground in agony and Elizabeth ran towards Gwaine. She looked around and saw one of the men were unconscious.

"Gwaine? There were three of them, where's the other one?" She asked nervously. Gwaine was still fighting the man who almost killed Elizabeth and didn't hear Elizabeth.

After knocking the man out, Gwaine stood up and turned to face Elizabeth.

"What were you asking?" He asked. He gasped as he saw a man, who was hiding behind a tree, strike Elizabeth across the face and run away. Gwaine hurried over to Elizabeth and was shocked to see her with a cut on her head.

"Elizabeth," He said softly. Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at Gwaine.

"He came from behind… My ring… Hurts…" She whimpered. Gwaine carried her gently and started walking to the castle.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be ok."


End file.
